by Karolinska Institutet

Digital image analysis flowchart for classifiers development and utilization. Credit: eClinicalMedicine (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2024.102928

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have investigated how well different AI models can predict the prognosis of triple-negative breast cancer by analyzing certain immune cells inside the tumor. The study, published in the journal eClinicalMedicine, is an important step toward using AI in cancer care to improve patient health.

Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes are a type of immune cell that plays an important role in fighting cancer. When they are present in a tumor, it means that the immune system is trying to attack and destroy the cancer cells.

These immune cells can be important in predicting how a patient with so-called triple-negative breast cancer will respond to treatment and how the disease will progress. But when pathologists assess the immune cells, the results can vary. Artificial intelligence (AI) can help standardize and automate this process, but it has been difficult to demonstrate that AI works well enough to be used in health care.

The researchers tested 10 AI models and compared their ability to analyze tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in triple-negative breast cancer tissue samples.

The results showed that the AI models varied in their analytical performance. Despite these differences, eight of the ten models showed good prognostic ability, meaning they were able to predict patients' future health in a similar way.

"Even models trained on fewer samples showed good prognostic ability, suggesting that tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes are a robust biomarker," says Balazs Acs, researcher at the Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet.

Independent studies needed

The study shows that large datasets are needed to compare different AI tools and ensure that they work well before they can be used in health care. While the results are promising, more validation is needed.

"Our research highlights the importance of independent studies that mimic real clinical practice," says Acs. "Only through such testing can we ensure that AI tools are reliable and effective for clinical use."

More information: Joan Martínez Vidal et al, The analytical and clinical validity of AI algorithms to score TILs in TNBC: can we use different machine learning models interchangeably? eClinicalMedicine (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2024.102928

Journal information: EClinicalMedicine 

Provided by Karolinska Institutet